The Verona boys tennis team huddles up before their game against Cedar Grove on Monday in Cedar Grove.

The Hillbillies sat tied with West Essex 2-2 in the first round of the Essex County Boys Tennis Tournament with second doubles team of junior Steven McMickle and freshman Jake Miller locked into a tight three set match to decide who would advance.

McMickle and Miller dropped the first set 7-5 but sent their team to the next round by winning the next two 6-1 and 6-2. Miller sealed the win with a strong serve that was returned into the net.

"The second doubles team are real gamers," head coach Patricia Schoenig said. "They knew the game was in their hands and they came through."

Wins by first and second singles set up the final decisive match by each besting their Knights counterpart. First singles player Matt Tuorto endured a long three set match that started with a tiebreaker in the first set that Tuorto dropped 7-6 (9-7).

Tuorto stepped his game up from there by winning the next two sets 6-3 and 6-3. The senior captain led David Shields of West Essex back and forth across the court and changed speeds to throw him off balance. He finished him off with a hard shot on the corner while Shields was still on his knees recovering from the last volley.

"I knew to expect that [Shields] would play well," Tuorto said. "I was fortunate to get the win in three sets. I tried to stay consistent and go for winners when I had to and not force anything. I had a lot of momentum and used it to make myself play better,"

Second singles player Alejandro Diaz defeated his opponent 6-3, 6-2 for Verona's only two set victory of the matchup.

"Alejandro came back and gave it 100 percent," Schoenig said.

Third singles player Josh Solomon and first doubles team of Matt Brehne and Torsten Kolind both fell, but Schoenig said they all played very competitively.

"Collectively we played very competitive," she said. "The score does not always reflect that."

The win came just a day after the Hillbillies 5-0 win over Cedar Grove. Panthers' first singles player Peter Wylie took Tuorto to three sets but the rest of the Hillbillies took care of business in two.

Verona's victory over Cedar Grove helped them rebound from their first loss of the season. The Hillbillies fell to Caldwell 3-2 on Friday at Verona High School. Solomon defeated Mike Melchione 6-4, 6-1 and the second doubles team of Miller and McMickle kept their undefeated streak alive by topping Sean Abdi and Matt Kelly 6-1, 6-0.

The Hillbillies were eliminated from the county tournament by top-seeded Livingston, a team Schoenig described as a "powerhouse," but still hold a sparkling 7-2 overall record on the season.